Not sure what you are talking about here. UH has been putting a ton of resources into enhancing the school, increased on campus housing, increased spending on research, big financial outlays for sports, etc.
I'm speaking as a Houstonian, a native Houstonian, and somebody who has no direct allegiance to any Houston or Texas school. While they did create a buzz more-so than UH has been able to do for 20+ years... there were still consistent issues with viewership, attendance, and the ultimate financial potential of what was largely a commuter school for years and is just now increasing its commitment to its sports teams. Like I said, it may get there eventually... but its not there yet.
That was the one thing that stood out to me about the extension. All the incentives, facility expansion clauses, etc...were nice but they essentially had a walk away for nothing buyout.
I'm not familiar with buyout clauses, especially for G5 programs vs. P5. Was 2.5MM low? I remember our AD mentioning that Herman requested specific provisions in his contract regarding leaving for UT re: buyout and/or negotiating privileges.
Weren't there still games that weren't televised locally over the last 2 years (only available on ESPN 3)? Most of the city doesn't run to their laptops to stream those games.
Just finally worked up the nerve to watch Herman's introductory press conference at UT. His remarks about UH were very uplifting and I believe sincere. I truly believe that UT was the only job he really wanted. Just bad timing for us. But we move on.
Dude. 2015: ESPN3 - 2 CBS Sports -1 ESPN2 - 4 ESPNews - 1 ESPNU - 2 ESPN - 1 ABC - 2 2016: ESPN3 - 1 CBS Sports -1 ESPN2 - 2 ESPNU - 2 ESPN - 3 ABC - 2 The ESPN3 games were Tenn Tech, Lamar, and Texas State.
Ok... and what about my post was inaccurate? Also, when trying to appeal to the masses... keep in mind that most Houstonians are not going to venture past ABC/ESPN/ESPN2. Most subscribers do not get ESPNU/ESPNews and the cable CBS Sports channel unless they're subscribing to the sports packages. Between ESPN3 and the 'other' more obscure cable channels that aren't routinely carried, that's 10 games over the last 2 years. Not insignificant. Its progress... but much more is needed, and now there will be a semblance of what is the realistic max potential of a UH football team garnering interest beyond UH students in THIS market, in a post-Herman/scorned by the big 12 world.
It's not inaccurate, it just lacks any kind of depth or analysis. FYI our conference TV contract mandates 1 game per year on CBS Sports. Texas Tech/Baylor vs. Sam Houston would also be on ESPN3 if it weren't for the fact that Fox Sports is starving for content. That's simply a spillover benefit of being in a P5. You're not going to see UH on ABC/ESPN(2) week in and week out until they get into a P5 conference. Period. It was the same way for Louisville and TCU. The only time those teams got on ESPN(2) was either when a P5 team came to town or they played their games on an off-night (Thurs/Fri). Eventually the ratings for those games did well enough (combined with timing) that they got the call up. Much the very same way UH's trajectory has been. There's a TV ceiling that is very much relative to the conference you're in. Right now ESPN is happy as hell to be paying pennies on the dollar for UH games that consistently rate as some of the most watched games in the Houston market each year.
And yet they still get relegated to streaming-only status or non-mainstream ESPN networks (basically streaming) for the majority of their games? I understand you've got a direct skin in this school, so you'll defend everything with all your might... but most independent observers, or native Houstonians who are expected to purchase tickets to watch/support the local college football team, still see that more progress is needed. And yes, you must show the progress/support in spades first before getting an invite.... once that happens, they'll get in.
There is always room for improvement. Movin' those goalposts! "You stream too many games" "You aren't on ESPN primary networks" "You aren't on ESPN primary networks during prime windows" "You aren't on over-the-air network TV" And so on and so on. It never ends for those who never want it to end.
As a comparison, Strong's buyout at Louisville was $4.3M. Believe Chad Morris and Herman (Ohio State) had $5M+ buyouts if they left for the OC jobs at another school but think that's a different set of circumstances. Guess it really didn't matter if he did have special provisions for UT.
Sumlin is definitely worthy of more ire from UH fans. But, I didn't have a dog in that fight, so I probably didn't pay as much attention as you. Yes, he is (taken from UH's website, so check it out before it's taken down): "He received a master's in education from the University of Texas in 2000." If you don't think it's easier to recruit at a state's flagship university with connections across the state, instead of a school with intermittent football success and exposure, you're being silly. Yes, UT is down in the last few years and we're hoping Herman turns that around. But, between UT and UH, the former will always be more attractive for 4- and 5-star recruits with NFL aspirations. Being a top college football coach requires ego. Do you think Saban, Meyer, Harbaugh, etc. are all humble dudes? Please. I don't know where fans get this sense of expected humility from coaches. People don't stay at Texas Instruments when Apple offers them an executive position, they don't stay at a local brokerage house when Goldman Sachs comes calling and they don't stay at UH when UT is offering them a king's ransom. Regardless of industry, it is human nature to say "yes" to bigger jobs with more prestige. Playoff access can't be understated here and I think you're correct. The committee could very well let a two-loss Oklahoma team into the playoff if certain things happen this weekend (and after they got in with one loss last year). A Group of 5 school can't survive one loss and still make the playoff because they have no margin for error. Herman knew that at UH he had to be perfect every single year to even have a shot.
That's a bit egregious and full of the "falling on your sword"/"woe is us!" mentality that most are getting tired of from UH supporters. As a native houstonian who actually lives in the Houston area, I don't see the goal-post moving. Consistently strong/competitive teams leads to local support/viewership which immediately translates to TV viewership (or demand for TV viewership which will lead to widespread exposure). There are capabilities of local TV networks to simulcast those "other" channel games... if they felt it was worth it from a financial standpoint. "It never ends for those who never want it to end"... what is this, Game of Thrones? Big-time college football exists in all those cities/schools that are part of the power 5 conferences. Some of them historically so. UH is still in its infancy of merely committing the resources to potentially get to that level. They finally get their act together after decades of floundering, and people expect the establishments to just bend over? Give it time. If they're putting their money where their mouth is, they would utilize the big-time money ear-marked for Herman to attract another recruiter... but if it was just a circumstantial/intermittent thing, that goes along with the nature of the mid-tier program.
So there are no examples of coaches telling kids the truth while looking at other opportunities during the season until said opportunity opens up and has been secured? This is not a trolling question. I am honestly curious if there are examples of coaches having such high character in these situations. IMO, it makes no sense to tell your kids or school you are leaving while you are interviewing. I don't think most in here would tell their job "hey I'm looking for another job".
You're on the money. Nobody tells they're currently employer that they're looking for new work and, because we force coaches to double as politicians, they're put in a position where they can't give truthful answers to dumb media questions. Did anybody actually expect Herman to say before the Memphis game "Yeah, I'm looking for something else right now"? It was a stupid question from the reporter who was more interested in boxing Herman in rather than learning anything about the game. If he'd answered truthfully to that question, he would've been raked over the coals by UH fans, too.
I think CW39 was airing some games. Don't overlook free streaming options such as ESPN3. Streaming is the way to go in the future. You'd be surprised at how popular Youtube is with young adults/teenagers these days. These G5 conferences should setup contracts with Youtube or Twitter to stream games live.
